Struggling With Confidence When Going Downhill

iluvstaffies

I am very new to mountain biking, never done it before and just got my beginner bike a few weeks ago, a Carrera Valour. I live close to Sherwood Pines so I have been up there a few times to have a go on the trails. Did the green one first with my son and was fine, I haven't been on a bike for quite a few years so thought it would be a good start!

So progressed onto the blue trail now and am really struggling with the downhill bits :oops: . I just don't have the confidence to keep off the brakes. Then while I am braking I end up skidding and that panics me even more. I don't know why, I'm not bothered about getting hurt, it's more the embarrassment of coming off I think :oops:

Will my confidence just build up eventually do you think? Why do I keep skidding all the time? Every time I touch the back brake I seem to end up skidding on something and it's always when going downhill at speed, then I can't seem to keep my balance either. Aaarggh lol.

Any advice would be great

cooldad

Just ride, it'll come. And gently on the brakes. Use the front mainly, not the back, which they probably taught you when you were a kid.
The front has all your weight on it and will stop you, the rear is unweighted so will skid.

iluvstaffies

No wonder I am skidding then, I am mainly using the back brake. I just think I will go over the handlebars if I use the front. Will give it a go and take it steady. Thanks for that!

supersonic

Move your weight back.

iluvstaffies

Ok, do I still use the front brake?

cooldad

Yes, you get 90% of the braking power from the front, use the rear to 'trim' the bike. Move your weight back if you are braking down steep stuff to stop the back lifting. On flatter trails it won't happen - try it. Just brake progressively, don't grab.
Seemed to be a thing years ago when teaching people to ride that using the front brake will instantly flip you over the bars.
Load of cobblers.
Look at a motorcycle - big double discs up front, little single one on the back - for a good reason.

alaric@epicmtb

Fundamentals are to stand up, knees slightly bent, pedals level, weight slightly back.

Let the bike move around under you using your legs to absorb the shock and movement.

Try to stay off the brakes as much as possible, but when you need them, put your heels down, and use the front to get the majority of your stopping power, the rear just helps keep the bike stable.

Use the brakes smoothly, don't just grab at them and with a bit of practise you'll be amazed at how much stopping power you'll get!

iluvstaffies

Thanks very much for the advice. I don't have a clue about all these things, as you can see! Can't wait to get out there and have another go now.

bartimaeus

It's also good to ride with people who are just a bit faster than you... you will be able to follow their lines, see their braking points and learn how much speed you can take into corners. But make sure they are not too much faster!

RyanCTJ

It's a matter of confidence in your bike and skills, which will come in time. There are some good articles on BikeRadar. Absorb, put into practice when you ride, and you'll soon be riding harder than ever. I know because since getting back,into mountain biking in April my Strava results show a week by week improvement. And +1 for riding with people better than you, great way to progress fast. P.S Look up Attack Position this is your basic riding position when descending and will solve your brake woes.

iluvstaffies

Went riding with my husband yesterday. He hasn't rode for years either but he has more confidence than I do and is also fearless, which helps! It just seems to come naturally to him! Wish I was more like that. Now I think about it though he was in the attack position for a lot of the ride and was just leaving me in his dust when going down hill :oops:

Have taken all the advice on board and have been reading loads on here and watching the videos and stuff too to get some tips. Thanks again

cooldad

The main thing is to have fun and the rest of the stuff will come. Don't concentrate too hard on what you should be doing, relax and let the bike do most of the work at any speed you are comfortable with. Don't try and control everything the bike does (hard to do being a lady), just focus ahead on where you want to end up and pick your lines in advance.

YeehaaMcgee

cooldad wrote:

Yes, you get 90% of the braking power from the front, use the rear to 'trim' the bike. Move your weight back if you are braking down steep stuff to stop the back lifting. On flatter trails it won't happen - try it. Just brake progressively, don't grab.
Seemed to be a thing years ago when teaching people to ride that using the front brake will instantly flip you over the bars.
Load of cobblers.
Look at a motorcycle - big double discs up front, little single one on the back - for a good reason.

The main reason people go over the bars when using the front brake is because they slump forwards, throwing their weight over the front of the bike - couple that with strong deceleration and you're going over!
However, if you brace your arms, to prevent you slumping forwards, you'll be fine.

rockmonkeysc

Bikes often come with crap (or no) pedals. A good set of grippy pedals can do a lot for your confidence.
Not sure if anyone else mentioned it but dropping your heels helps give a bit more control and improves your position on the bike. When cornering try to drop the outside pedal and push the bike down under you a bit, it will give lots more grip and better feel for what your tyres are doing.

The Rookie

+1 for getting proper pedals with decent pins that lock the souls of your shoes in place!

rockmonkeysc

The Beginner wrote:

+1 for getting proper pedals with decent pins that lock the souls of your shoes in place!

Your shoes have a soul?

cooldad

RockmonkeySC wrote:

The Beginner wrote:

+1 for getting proper pedals with decent pins that lock the souls of your shoes in place!

Your shoes have a soul?

You should always buy shoes with soul, dude, it's just good karma.

Ex client from when I lived in NZ - perfect for beardie fixie riders and other hippie types. But don't try calling him when the surfs up.
http://www.soulshoes.co.nz/footwear-w-2.html

paul.skibum

Just looking at that website made my hair go greasy and my chin grow a braided, beaded goatee. I think I could actually smell pot coming from the computer screen.

cooldad

And he's a longboarder.

YeehaaMcgee

Paris 75

cooldad wrote:

Seemed to be a thing years ago when teaching people to ride that using the front brake will instantly flip you over the bars.
Load of cobblers.

I learned years ago not to use my front brake as a direct consequence of being instantly flipped over the handlebars of a bmx whenever thoughtless enough to attempt it.

Classical conditioning: load of cobblers.

cooldad

I assume since then you've become more proficient?

The Rookie

Of course a BMX is just like a real bike, rider Cof G is no further forward relative to the front tyre contact patch, front contact patch on a childs wheel migrates as far forward as on a real wheel when the rear lifts, rider is no heavier now that before.........

And The white cliffs of Dover taste just like cheddar cheese.......

iluvstaffies

Have a day off work on Wednesday so going to go up to Sherwood Pines on my own and have a practise while it's quiet. Can't wait

After reading a few things on here it looks like I need to also lose my reflectors and "rookie ring" and then go get myself some soul shoes and I'm good to go

cooldad

Looking pro is very important. When you fall off just fiddle with the bike, swear at it a bit, and people will assume the machinery let you down.

The Rookie

But aim to have less parctice at it than Cooldad who is now a grand master!

That or just take the wee wee out yourself and laugh it off.......I have a stack of practice at that one!

cooldad

I do fall off a lot.

JayKay3000

Don't look at the wheel, for some reason I always did that when I started and remember that if you point the front wheel somewhere the rear almost always follows. Believe you can do it and almost any terrain is passable.

Most of the problems people (I'm no exception) have with riding their mtb are due to the mind stopping you. You have to be like a miner and constantly hack away at the threshold. I've walked obstacles I know are easy, but on the bike the mind has stopped me. When you're a kid you don't have this threshold, you just do it. As you get older your mind creates this protective bubble that you have to cut through so you can ride properly. Fear causes imbalance and instability, not rolling or rolling too slowly over an obstacle can cause a crash or fall. Braking on obstacles because fear has taken over will cause a crash.

Eventually your hands will cover breaking for you and like a pianist you will switch between front and rear (right and left) without even thinking about it.

I don't fall off much, but I progress slower than I'd like due to having to fight my protective bubble. Although, I ride far harder terrain and faster than I ever did when I was a kid. However, the protective bubble has made me learn the fundamentals before tackling stuff I don't have the skill for. It's a trade off.

cooldad

Talking of bubbles, I'm thinking of how to use a mini Zorb - will probably work better than my mind.

Or just give up on the bike altogether and join her.

iluvstaffies

Oh i am definitely up for that in the last pic. Looks like great fun! Sometimes i think i need to remember how old i am though....

Funnily enough now I think about it, I do tend to look at the front wheel a lot. Must break that habit. It's just another confidence issue I think, for me.

Do you guys think my bike (Carrera Valour) will be ok for the red routes, mainly The Kitchener? Obviously this will be quite a long way off yet, but I will get there one day!

cooldad

Yup, pretty much any bike will handle pretty much anything, just not as fast. But us oldies have an excuse for sedate riding.
I ride with ages ranging from teenager to old (me) and when the children stop off to play on jumps and stuff, I just watch them indulgently and laugh like buggery when they fall off.

As for watching your wheel, look ahead to where you want to be - like driving a car. If you watch the end of your bonnet, you will hit something.
You can see it with small children - they will fixate on whatever they want to miss, and toddle, walk, run, or ride right into it.